Explore and Play the G maj9 Chord on Guitar
The G major ninth chord (Gmaj9) is spelled G, B, D, F# and A. It is often heard in jazz.
There are three voicings on this page, two of them barre shapes. Unlike a dominant ninth chord, the seventh here is major, so the chord stays restful instead of pulling toward a resolution. All of its notes fall inside the G major scale, which makes that scale the first choice for melodies over the chord. You can spot the gaps between these notes with fretboard interval shapes.
Press play on the fretboard player at the top to hear Gmaj9 strummed and as an arpeggio.
G major 9th guitar chord is also written as Gmaj9, GM9, GΔ9 or Gma9.
Gmaj9 Chord Notes and Formula
Notes that compose the G maj9 chord:
Chord Formula:
Formula: 1 3 5 7 9
Gmaj9 Chord Interactive Fretboard
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Go to the full guitar chords tutorial.
Gmaj9 Guitar Chord Diagrams
Position 1 Barre Movable
G Major Ninth Finger Positions
- Mute the high E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the A and G strings at the same time
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 3 of the low E string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 3 of the B string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 4 of the D string
Position 2 Barre Movable
G Major Ninth Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the A string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the G and high E strings at the same time
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 3 of the B string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the D string
Position 3 Movable
G Major Ninth Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the high E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 9 of the D string
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 10 of the A string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 10 of the B string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 11 of the G string
Find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you
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Chords That Go With Gmaj9
One key where Gmaj9 fits is G major, where it works as the I chord. These are the main chords of that key, the ones you will often hear around it:
See every key in the guitar keys chart, or build a progression with these chords in the chord progression generator.
More G Chords
Want to know how this chord is built? Read ninth and add9 chords explained, or browse all G guitar chords.
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
FAQ
What notes make up Gmaj9?
G, B, D, F# and A. F# is the major seventh, one semitone short of the root G, and A is the ninth.
How many ways are there to play Gmaj9 on guitar?
Three voicings are available, two using a barre and none with open strings. They lie between fret 2 and fret 11.
Which scale goes with G major ninth?
G major: G, A, B, C, D, E and F#. All five notes of the chord are in it.
What does G major ninth add to Gmaj7?
Gmaj7 is G, B, D and F#. The ninth chord adds A on top, which lies a whole step higher than the root G.
